Hot Vampire Touch (Vampire Wardens 3)

“Magic,” Troy agreed. “And magic is never a good thing. We know that. Try to pick out what is real and what’s not before we have to fight.”

Cassie stretched her senses, but she found nothing but emptiness as seconds ticked by that felt like hours, that shattered when Aylia let out a blood curdling scream of pure pain. “Help her, Troy. Help her!”

He never got the chance. A snarl sounded and a wolf pounced on top of them. Cassie rolled as Troy tumbled away with the attacker. She blinked into the bright light and reached for her weapons. But even with those silver blades in her hands, she was frozen, unsure where to go. She still couldn’t see and her sensitive wolf nose was failing her as well. She was about to flip to her feet when a hard mass of wolf came down on top of her. Her instinct was to shift but it was an instinct destroyed by instant pain that ended in complete darkness.

Chapter Fourteen

Cassie gasped and came awake to excruciating pain caused by Andres - in half man, half wolf form - ripping her shoulder open with his fangs. A second later, he was knocked off of her, and somehow she knew it was Troy who was rolling with him, his clothes tearing as he began to shift. Oh no, she thought. Oh, God. Get up, Cassie! Help him! She tried to lift herself, but her leg was a pretty bad sight, and so were the dead werewolf bodies peppering the ground around her.

Marcus appeared next to her. “Help him,” she said. “Help Troy. Please. Andres and… ” she gasped as pain shot through her shoulder.

“You’re the only one who is going to be able to help him when this is over,” Marcus said and bit his wrist. He held it to her mouth. “Drink quickly and deeply.”

She drew on the blood, shaking with the surge of his ancient power. Marcus bit his other wrist and dripped it over her shoulder. Pain rocked her body as the wounds healed rapidly, so rapidly it stole her breath.

The snarls stopped, and she shoved away from Marcus, not even sure how much time had passed, desperate to confirm Troy was alive. She found him squatted down over Andres’s dead body and his eyes, his skin, even his hair, were silver. He was beautifully lethal, and she knew she had to get to him before he hurt someone. She tried to get up, but Marcus held her. “Easy. We don’t know what he is capable of like this.”

“I do,” she said. “And he won’t hurt me. Let go.”

“I’m here,” Aylia said, running forward, her clothes ripped and bloodied where she’d clearly been injured, and now healed. “I need a drop of his blood for the spell.”

Cassie nodded and looked at Marcus. “I need to do this. You said so yourself.”

He didn’t look convinced. “I’ll go with you.”

“No,” she said quickly. “I have to go alone.”

Cassie pushed to her feet and Evan and Aiden rushed towards her. Troy roared and stood up, as if he thought they were going to hurt her. “Back!” she yelled.

“Holy Mother of God,” Evan said.

“Ditto on that,” Aiden murmured.

“Please, get back,” Cassie said, waving the brothers back.

“No, Cassie,” Nico yelled, running up behind her. “You are not-”

She darted forward, knowing her brother would try and stop her otherwise, and not thinking about the consequences. Troy pushed to his feet, snarling viciously and shoving her behind him as Nico came after her.

“Nico, no!” Cassie shouted. “Get back. He won’t hurt me.”

Troy snarled again, and Nico stood far too close to him for comfort. Troy roared fiercely and grabbed Cassie, throwing her over his shoulder before he started to run at vampire speed. Cassie thought of the moment in the parking garage when he’d done the same thing.

In what must have been only a few minutes, they were on the balcony of the house again, and Troy was laying her on the bed. He started to move away and she held him. “No. Stay.”

He looked at her with those silver eyes, and she could see his awareness, his battle with the wolf. “I love you,” she whispered, stroking his cheek. “I love you so much.” She brushed her hair from her neck, and turned her head. “Drink.”

He buried his face in her neck. “No,” he hissed in her ear. “Will… hurt you.”

“I trust you,” she whispered, turning to brush her lips against his ear. “Trust me now. Trust.”

“Trust,” he repeated. “I do… trust you.”

“Then drink.”

His teeth sunk into her neck, piercing her skin and sending a rush of pain through her. Oh God, it hurt. It had never hurt before. But she bit back a cry, afraid of how he would react. He was too out-of-it to control what she felt and she wanted him back. She needed him back. Somehow though, a cry escaped her lips and it was as if the sound changed him. Muscle shifted beneath her palms and pleasure rushed through her. Suddenly, he was kissing her, the taste of her blood on his mouth, before he pressed his wrist to her lips.

“Now you drink,” he ordered gently. “You’ve lost too much blood.